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One Grand Summer - March 2025 Book Group discussion thread

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McGoohan
McGoohan
3 Mar
2:48pm, 3 Mar 2025
55,101 posts
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McGoohan
Big Tony Bompasero wanted something and he wanted it real bad. He wanted a Summer like the ones he knew as a child on the beaches of Sicily. But those times were long gone and didn't come easy. In frustration he coshed Not-so-big Antony Pistachioso once more and threw his unconscious body onto the growing pile of comatose mobsters. Nervously, Medium-sized Tonio Tonicelli entered the room.

'Eh, you wanted to see me boss?' He cast a worried look at his blacked out colleagues.

'Yeah,' Big Tony drawled. 'I want a beach holiday, paddling in the melon-farming sea and building fudging sandcastles.'

His voice cracking with fear, Medium-sized Tonio said, 'Yeah boss, I can get that for you, but it ain't so cheap.'

Big Tony looked sharply at the only slightly smaller man. 'How much?'

'A thousand dollars, boss,' the maybe one-inch shorter man said.

Big Tony considered the proposition. 'A One Grand Summer? Let's do it.'

----

So begins One Grand Summer, Ewald Arenz's graphically violent tale of mayhem and murder on the donkey rides. Rachel Ward's trasnlation catches every blood-splattered moment of this book that The Times said was, 'Utterly charming' and the Guardian called, 'A delightful coming of age tale'... wait. Have I been reading the right book?

Drop your thoughts like a stoolpigeon in concete shoes from the end of a pier into the thread below...
Night-owl
Night-owl
3 Mar
2:52pm, 3 Mar 2025
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Night-owl
Great intro @McGoohan 😊
McGoohan
McGoohan
22 Mar
8:48pm, 22 Mar 2025
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McGoohan
I ordered the book from the library when I wrote the above. It has been 'In Transit' ever since. Well, I've not read it yet, but I'm going to review it anyway.

Cards on the table I'm going to say now that this book is brilliant/average/terrible.
The plot was intriguing/so-so/all over the shop and the characters were inventive and original/nothing new/utterly unbelievable.
In short I will be urging everyone I know to read it/taking it back to the library/burning it at the top of a sacrificial bonfire

I've scored it 10/6/-1
The Pin Lady
The Pin Lady
28 Mar
8:26am, 28 Mar 2025
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The Pin Lady
I enjoyed this one - thanks to however chose it. Bit out of my normal choice of reading but found it quite a gentle pre-bed read. Wasn't sure when it was set - my guess was sometimes in the 80's? (Did I miss the crucial bit that told me when it was set?)

I would give it an 8
westmoors
westmoors
2 Apr
5:58pm, 2 Apr 2025
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westmoors
This was OK. Didn't dislike it, but I definitely didn't find myself wanting to pick it up to find out what happened. Gave it a mediocre 5.

I think I would rather have read the book of McG's intro :-)

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Maintained by McGoohan
Big Tony Bompasero wanted something and he wanted it real bad. He wanted a Summer like the ones he knew as a child on the beaches of Sicily. But those times were long gone and didn't come easy. In frustration he coshed Not-so-big Antony Pistachioso once more and threw his unconscious body onto the growing pile of comatose mobsters. Nervously, Medium-sized Tonio Tonicelli entered the room.

'Eh, you wanted to see me boss?' He cast a worried look at his blacked out colleagues.

...
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